Improved apparatus for reefing and furling sails



UNITED STATES PATENT OEEICE.

JOHN MEDHURST, OF DRUMMOND ROAD, BERMONDSEY, ENGLAND.

IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR REEFING ND FURLING S'AILS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 57,267, dated August 14, 1866.

To all whom it may concern:

Be ity known that I, JOHN MEDHURsT, of l1 Drummond Road, Bermondsey, in the county of Surrey, England, am in possession of an invention for Improvements in Apparatus for Reefmg and Fnrling Sails of Ships and Ves` sels; and I, the said JOHN MEDHURST, do hereby declare the nature of the said invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement thereof-that is to say:

This invention has for its object improvements in apparatus for reen g and i'urlin g sails of ships and vessels; and the invention is applicable where the sails are wound on rollers and where the winding is from the foot of the sail. For these purposes the lower part or foot ot' the sail is attached to a roller which, when the sail is set, is supported by the yard below, while, when the sail is being furled, the roller is, during the last part of the winding or rolling up, arranged to ascend toward the yard above it, and `to which the upper part of the sail is bent or attached. At each end of the roller there is a neck or short axis affixed, which is received into an eye or opening in a short rod, and near each end of the lower yard is fixed a hollow socket with an enlarged or bell mouth, so that when the roller descends, in unfurling or unrolling the sail, the'lower end of each of the short rods above mentioned enters a socket and becomes supported and held securely by the socket; the rods then become bearings for the axes or necks of the rollerin which such axes or necks can turn.

-In addition to the roller being supported at the two ends in the manner above described, there are crutches fixed to the lower yard, the heads or upper parts of which are hollow and of such dimensions as to admit of the roller, together with part of the sail wound thereon, being received into and supported by the crutches.

Near each end of the roller is a pulley, around which a chain passes, the ends of which descend to the deck, and the two ends of each chain, in passing from the pulley to the deck, pass through holes formed near the end of the lower yard, in which holes there are sheaves, against which the chain rests. Each chain then passes over the sheaves in a block or blocks and descends to the deck. Hence when it is desired to reef the sail the roller is readily caused to rotate by the two chains, which act respectively on the two pulleys on the two ends of the rollers, the upper yard, to whichl the upper part of' the sail is bent or attached, being at the same time lowered till it comes to the cap. When it is desired to furl the sail the remainder of the rolling up of the sail on the roller is accomplished by means of Having thus stated the nature of my inven "tion, I will proceed more fully to describe the manner of performing the same.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 shows a top-sail tted according to my invention. Fig. 2 shows the same sail when close reefed. Figs. 3,4, 5, 6, 7, and S show some of the parts separately on a larger scale.

In each of the figures the same letters are used to indicate the same parts.

ct a is the top-sail. b b is the upper yard, to which the upper part of the sail is set or bent. c c is a roller, to which the lower part of the sail is attached. d d is the lower yard. ce is the sling for the lower yard.

At each end of the roller c cis a short neck or axis, c. These short necks or axes are received into eyes in the short rods f f, which, when the sail is set, are in sockets g g. The arms g g of the sockets are fixed to the ends of the lower yard, d d, as is shown in the drawings. 'lhe lower ends of the short rods f f have chains ff attached to them, which pass through the sockets g g, and from thence they pass to the mast, and then down to the deck.

At each end of the roller c c pulleys or surfaces c2 c2 are formed, onto which the upper ends of the chains lt h are iixed, and on which several coils of them are wound when the sail is being set. These chains h h pass under sheaves h It', then over sheaves 71.2 h2 in the block h3', and then down to the deck.

means the roller c c Will be caused to revolve and to Wind up the sail thereon till the upper yard descends to the cap of the mast, after which the complete furling of the sail is accomplished by means of the two parbuckle lines jj, which are at one end made fast to the upper yard at j j. They then pass under the roller at j2j2 and ascend and pass over the pulleys 73 j3 on the upper yard, and they descend to the deck, so that when they are hauled ou the roller will be caused to revolve and will Wind up or furl the remainder of the sail thereon, the roller c o at the same time being` caused to ascend toward the upper yard, the chains ff and h h being slacked away for the purpose.

Having thus described the nature of my i-n- Vention and the manner of performing the same, I would have i-t understood that what I claim is- The com bned arrangement of the parts for reeng and furling a sail on a roller, 0 c, substantially as herein described.

London, May 30, 1866.

' J. MEDHURST.

Witnesses G. F. WARREN, HENRY SoU'r-ER,

'Nd 17 Gwwechwch Street, London. 

